HETEROGENEOUS DEFORMATION OF GABBROIC ROCKS

摘要

INTRODUCTION Differential stresses are abundant within the crust and lithosphere and result from the tectonic forces, that are pervasive within these regions. In the crust, deformation arising from these stresses is usually ductile in the middle to lower crust and brittle in the upper crust. In many cases this deformation is localized to discrete shear zones rather than being distributed throughout the crust. Localization results from existing and evolving strength heterogeneities which allow strain to be more easily accommodated in certain areas. Since strain localization in the form of faults and shear zones is abundant throughout the crust, it is important to understand how these zones initiate and evolve.